The present invention relates to a mobile device, and more particularly to a housing for a mobile device with a built-in digital camera.
In recent years, manufacturers have introduced mobile devices with built-in cameras into the market. One such device, referred to herein as a camera phone, combines a cellular telephone with a camera in a single housing. Consumers may use their camera phones to capture images, send and receive digital images, and/or participate in a video teleconference. Until recently, the demand for mobile communication devices with built-in cameras has been low because such devices have been large and prohibitively expensive. However, due to advances in technology, the size and cost of these devices is decreasing. As such, wireless manufacturers expect the demand for these mobile devices to increase.
To meet the growing demand and to stay competitive in the market, manufacturers regularly explore ways to improve these mobile devices. Areas of focus include reducing the size of the mobile device and designing an ergonomic mobile device that looks, feels, and operates similar to a conventional digital camera. However, these two areas of focus often conflict. For example, smaller conventional camera phones tend to be designed with “clamshell” housings that comprise two pivotally connected sections. When not in use, the two sections close into a compact folded position. This not only positions the camera phone in a highly compact package, but also protects delicate user interfaces, such as the keypad, display, etc. By flipping open the clamshell, the consumer may operate the mobile device as a communication device, a camera, or both.
Because the display typically operates as the viewfinder for the camera, current camera phones with clamshell housings are held in a vertical orientation with the clamshell open when the camera phone operates as a camera. This orientation is awkward for consumers accustomed to compact, horizontally oriented digital cameras. Therefore, while the clamshell design addresses some size concerns, camera phones with conventional clamshell housings do not provide a compact and ergonomic solution when the camera phone operates as a camera. Therefore, there is a need for a mobile device with a clamshell housing that not only provides the desired size benefits of the conventional clamshell design, but also provides an ergonomic housing when the mobile device operates as a camera.